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“You don’t have a sword,” she reminded him

Tanner handed over one of his “Do you kno to use it?”

“Of course Not as well as either of you, but I can e”

“Absolutely not!” Jade was horror-stricken at the suggestion Michael intended to join them

“Jade,” Tanner said, his tone dark and ominous “We need him”

With that, the other slayer turned sharply and oing anywhere

“Fine,” she said against her better judgment “Ride with e “That’s the deal, or you ht as alk back to the tavern”

They followed Tanner to the oods but slowed a quarterSnow fell lightly, though not enough to obscure the visibility Through the trees, Jade saw the coed in her throat

The ragtag asse in the breeze told her the deathered were not from Darien’s alliance

As her pulse raged, she heard riders approach from behind She drew her sword as she jerked on the reins and faced the newcoh they’d always been on the other side of the border

“We’ve violated code by cutting through the forest,” one of theet here”

“How’d you know the fire wraith’s arated?” she asked

“The king sent scouts as soon as he returned to the castle One froues have arrived ahead of schedule The others found us Additional scouts are searching the remainder of the outskirts”

His gaze shifted fro and then back “I estiarrisons about to appear in varying locations outside the boundaries of the village”